Temple Baptist Church - 1-24-2021
Revelation 10:1-11
A. In chapter 7, we saw the first “parenthetical” as God sealed the 144,000 Jews and a Great Revival broke out on earth as “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands … These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
B. By “parenthetical,” I do not mean that the Tribulation Period on earth came to a standstill. It means that, during all that is going on upon the earth, God gives another vision of great importance that happens simultaneously.
C. In the last two verses of chapter 9, we find—despite the plagues of locusts from hell and the horsemen from the Euphrates River—man continues to refuse the Lord of lords and King of kings, Jesus Christ, and his gracious and free salvation to all mankind. The greatest reason for people not being saved is that they want heaven or the “pie-in-the-sky” without repentance. Without repentance, there is no salvation because there is no desire for the sinner to change.
Revelation 9:20-21 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: (21) Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
D. Verse 1-2. Here we find another “mighty angel” from heaven. Angels have a myriad of purposes for existence but one of the main purposes is that of messengers. This angel is clothed with a cloud. The first mention of the word “cloud” or “clouds” in found on Mount Sinai. God has always used clouds to hide and to guide. Clouds speak of great glory, power, and fearfulness. Mankind has rejected God because they believe that they can defeat God’s purposes. Nothing can defeat God!
Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: (The Guidance of the Lord)
Clouds express The Glory of the LORD - Exodus 16:9-10 And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings. (10) And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Clouds express The Power of the LORD - Psalms 104:1-3 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. (2) Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: (3) Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Deuteronomy 4:11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.
Psalms 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Philippians 2:10-11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Rainbow expresses The Promise of the LORD - There is the “rainbow” of God’s promise upon his head. There is a rainbow around the throne of God, like unto an emerald, in chapter 4. What God has promised shall come to pass.
His feet show the unrelenting Judgment of the LORD - upon both land and sea. In chapter 13, we will see two “beasts.” The first beast coming from the sea and the second beast coming from the earth. God’s power is greater than all that mankind can bring forth. God’s judgements are both righteous and appropriate.
E. Verses 3-4. The angel cries out and the “seven thunders utter their voices.” Thunder occurs when a lightning bolt splits the atmosphere causing a void and then, as the atmosphere comes back together, it makes a thunderous noise. Sometimes the lightening is visible, and at other times, it is not. The seven thunders spoke in a voice that was heard and understood by John. What these said was not to be recorded, therefore, something either took place or was to take place that God does not want us to know. They are sealed to be opened later.
Psalms 29:3-9 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. (4) The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. (5) The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. (6) He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. (7) The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. (8) The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. (9) The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
F. Verse 5-7. The angel swears by Him who created all things that God will now finish His work of judgment and time, as we know it, will cease to exist. How often do we ask God “how long” or “why?” God, in His grace, has held off the final judgment for sin, giving time for every man to repent.
2 Peter 3:7-10 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Amid eternity’s “eternal moment,” God said, “In the beginning” which indicates the start of time as we know it measured in 24-hour days periods. One day, God will end time as we know it, and we will enter that “eternal moment” where God lives, and time does not exist.
G. Verses 8-10. The angel holds a “little book” which is open which John is commanded to take and eat. The contents of the book are sweet as honey to the taste but bring bitterness to the belly. Judgment is a bitter/sweet thing. We desire and ask for things to be made right and ultimately, they will be, but it also brings about a bitterness afterward when we see that mankind has rejected the grace of God which brings about destruction. A mystery in the Bible is something that cannot be understood by the natural man but is revealed to the spiritual man through revelation.
H. Though exiled on the Isle of Patmos, John has God’s promise that he will write and preach again both in word and through the Revelation. The book contained the prophecy of things to come during the end time and are the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Book of the Revelation that we now have.
Revelation 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
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